CBS newsman Byron Pitts wasn’t always the confident journalist we see today. In his new book, "Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges," Pitts talks about what it took for him to succeed against some long very long odds.

During a recent book reading in Raleigh, Pitts talked about how he, as a young intern in 1980, was taught the ropes by a gruff, older reporter at WTVD in the state capitol. The event was covered by the Raleigh News & Observer Executive Editor John Drescher.

The Pitts book has gotten good reviews.

He grew up in east Baltimore, was bullied as a child, didn't learn to read until he was 12 and stuttered until he was 20. Still, he fulfilled a lifelong dream to become a journalist on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes."

"The book is meant to encourage all people,” Pitts recently told Richard Prince, who publishes a blog called “Journal-ism.” “It's about struggle and what's required to get past the difficult moments. I talk very honestly about my faith and the importance it's played and still plays in my life.

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